This very lucky break has led to Perl performing on stage with acclaimed Melbourne singer/ actor Bert la Bonté – between the two of them they bring Gaye’s story to the stage in a celebration of his life and music. The Prince of Motown/ Prince of Soul has long been an inspiration to Perl; she discovered Gaye’s music when she was in high school. “It sounds corny but I actually love all his songs,” she says. “It’s going to be a really, really good show; if you’re a fan of Marvin Gaye or a fan of soul then it’s a really special show with some of Australia’s best soul musicians. It’s a really great band, it’s unbelievable. Everyone’s a big Marvin Gaye fan.”
If you push Perl to name a favourite Gaye song, she admits to Sexual Healing. “I love the tone of voice in this song, his expression. I love the way he sings. He’s been such an influence,” she notes. “Michael Jackson, Prince…Perl admits that he’s been a big influence on her own work. “Especially his later stuff; that has been a really big influence.”
Perl was born in Texas but now calls Melbourne home. She’s been playing piano since the age of seven and is making a name for herself around Melbourne through her remarkable vocal abilities, her original songs and with her own brand of musical comedy.
In Let’s Get it On Perl will cover the female characters in Gaye’s life; there’s not one role as such; there are several, most notably Diana Ross, and Gaye’s close friend and collaborator Tammy Terrell who died tragically young of a brain tumour at 24, the same age Perl is now. “Bert and I are both narrating the story,” Perl explains. “We do duets, and a few other songs of Tammy Terrell that weren’t duets.” Perl says she feels a connection with Terrell. “It’s interesting, they were good friends; it was never anything sexual but they really loved each other. She’s got a sad story, she died really young. It’s so tragic and hard to believe. So I feel her part more strongly because she was my age when she died.”
Performing in Let’s Get It On is a departure from what Perl usually does on stage, both in her musical performance and stand-up comedy. Beat asked Perl what challenges she faced in preparing for the show. “There’s a lot of acting stuff that I haven’t done since high school,” she answers. “It’s a new thing for me; it’s not my forte. I’m a singer/songwriter and I can remember lyrics a lot easier than I can remember lines. It’s really interesting being in a show like this,” she continues. “I’m used to performing all the time; talking to an audience isn’t new. It’s interesting to see how a show comes together, being in the room with the director and the writer…It’s a heightened experience; it’s cool to see.” One happy aspect of the show is the way she and la Bonté sing so well together. “Sometimes when you sing with people it’s a long time til your voices mesh together and sometimes it doesn’t happen. But we fell into place; we’re in sync.”
Perl says that preparing for Let’s Get It On has made her aware of how she performs normally and what is expected of her on stage now. “You have to change how you do things. The differences are in the way you move, how you hold yourself, how you speak; it’s exciting.” “I perform my original stuff and I embrace my awkwardness,” she explains. “I magnify it. It’s a big part of my music. I used to think I should try and not be awkward but that didn’t work. Now I talk about what goes through my head. I don’t have a filter. I want my performances to be like a big lounge room where we’re just hanging out. I’m a piano player and I talk about what I feel like when I perform. I’m embracing the fact that awkwardness is part of my identity. I wonder, can you still be sexy when you’re saying awkward things? It’s weird and funny, you think no-one else is like that, that no-one else is doing it, but then you hear that everyone is like that.”
BY LIZA DEZFOULI
